My enemy's friend
by Claudia C18
Summary: The thief king was after us, the last ones. I wanted another chance to change fate. Isis gave me that chance. But where am I now? How will I defeat him? What if I can't? And how will the present become after this? -- Millenium saga-Atem POV.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A miracle's not always welcome

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A/N: Hello all. This will be my first Yu-gi-oh story I've written down. Also since English isn't my first language and I haven't written fanfiction in a while I might be rusty, so please bear with me. Also I'm a lousy updater.

My stories take place in alternate "what if? "'s universes. The characters used are the Duel Monsters main characters, though my stories focus mainly on Ryou Bakura, Thief King Bakura (and rarely Yami Bakura). This will be the only story where the main character is Atem, and the story is told through his point of view.

The character relationships are the same as the real series (so no yaoi , sorry girls), and I try to follow the canon (both japanese manga and anime, if possible) at least till a certain point (where this story comes in). All stories are set in their own world that is independent from the other (unless specified as a sequel).

The story takes place in ancient Egypt (the real one) so there is no reason for the characters not to know Atem's name. Also the Millennium Puzzle seems to have been called the Millennium Pyramid back then (it was a whole item before Atem's soul got imprisoned). I'll try to be as accurate as possible to the real Egypt, if there are any problems with notions or names, Wiki them 

_Italics_ = thoughts

" " = dialogue

So, without further ado, let's get on with the story:

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_How did it come to this?_

"Pharaoh! Go! I can handle this!" yelled the high priest, looking at me as I was getting further and further away from him.

I managed to catch a glimpse of him as he was taking a battle stance, clutching the Millennium Rod tightly as a cloud of smoke was steadily approaching our location.

_That's what you all said._

A tired horse was racing towards us, being constantly nudged in the sides by that white-haired tomb-robber.

Even though he was far away, I could hear his yells, his enjoyment obvious in his tone, and I was sure he was grinning like the sadistic beast that he was...and behind him I could see the shape of his huge, deformed, monstrous Ka…_That's probably what he really is on the inside ,_I thought, a deceitful snake-man, a corruption of both symbols of the Gods, put together in a sinful inhuman body …it was obvious to me now that Apep had descended upon us.

I was climbing the rocky hill, trying not to fall behind priestess Isis. She was in better shape than me, since she got sheltered by Kalim from the beast..

_Kalim.._I thought bitterly. He's gone now…may Anubis watch over him, like Kalim watched over me…_Why did you have to save me, dear friend?._

I bit my lip and kept going. The hill had a large plateau, which seemed to lead to a cave. I never even knew there was such a thing around these parts._ Where was Isis leading me?_

My head was throbbing. Remorse was biting at me, reminding me how everything could've been avoided if only I would've been the one to die first, if I would've managed to summon up the bravery to stand up to the thief even when I had lost the battle, and face death like a true man, not have to be saved by my priests at the cost of their own lives.. how useless I was, even with my Millennium Pyramid..._even the Gods have left me.._

It was all so sudden. I was barely crowned Nswt (or, as the philosophers wrote down for the rest of the world to see, "pharaoh") for a month ..everyone was having high expectations of me.

My counselor and caretaker Shimon even jokingly(or at least, that's how I saw it) called me "the next Amenhotep 3rd" "You are the new God of truth" he said to me "and the kingdom will prosper once again under your reign! Ra has definitely smiled at us for having chosen you as our leader_"._

I guess my strange hair color must've convinced the palace court that it was a sign of a greater fate. Frankly, I didn't quite believe in prophecies, since I never lived to see any of them coming true , but I promised myself I'd try my best to be a good leader.

Then HE had to come..at first nobody took a petty thief serious, even after his threats, even after robbing my father's tomb, the guards assured me he wasn't a real threat.

Then something unexpected happened. Mahaad, my dearest and oldest friend got killed by the thief .

I didn't have time to grief over his death however, when I discovered that the thief, who shamelessly claimed Mahaad's Millennium Ring for himself, had managed to get to the plates housing the Ka's of the Gods and promptly destroyed them before the guards even managed to get there.I was left powerless before I managed to even start a fight, and he knew it, since he targeted me next.

Shada, Kalim, Akunadin…one by one, they were taken out and their items became part of his collection.

Even worse, a group of rebels, sensing my fall, decided to side with him. The land became a real Duat, villages were pillaged and burned, and countless innocents were senselessly sacrificed to that white-haired Apep-incarnate. He was raised to the rank of god of criminals, and more and more people were forcefully joining his side, for fear of a premature death for themselves and their families.

My legs were trailing behind me and my vision blurred again. I had to keep myself going, I couldn't let him capture me. If I had to, so help me Ra, I would kill myself just to stop him from having the satisfaction of killing me himself. I had nothing left to lose now...

I reached the plateau. Isis was already waiting there for me. She grabbed my arm and helped me up. Raising my head, I could see the dread that had slowly set in these past few weeks in her otherwise beautiful dark eyes, but she still tried to keep her face serious and brave through all this.

I inwardly smiled a sad smile at her attempt to lift my morale, but I was already lost in the deep abyss of my own sadness within my Ib, which I was sure was as heavy as a stone with remorse over the loss of my friends at my own fault ._If only Ammit could take me now! _

I had next to no hope left, and the only thing that kept me from making my last stand there with Seth was her promise of a miracle spring that could turn the tide in our favor.

The cave was surprisingly small, about the size of a room, with a small pool of water gathered in a dent-like hole in the rocky ground in the far end. Was this it?

"I heard this story a long time ago from my predecessor, when I was merely a palace girl" she started, "the story of a wonder spring located inside this cave. It's powers are a mystery ...The spring is known to very few people and she didn't know anybody who has ever resorted to using the spring's powers. What's said is that it's effects range from showing visions to amplifying magic powers, granting wishes or even reviving the dead.

It's said this spring helped Senusret 3rd win the battle against the Nubians and achieve great power. If anything could change our destinies, it's this spring"

"Isis, are you sure this will work? "I asked her skeptically.

"Please, my Pharaoh "she said taking hold of my hands "We don't have much have to trust Ma'at for she will always bring justice to the needy."

_How could she be so trusting of the very Gods who left our people to die?_

We sat down on our knees on either side of the small pool.A small jet of water was indeed springing upwards from under the solid rock, like a submersed fountain, but the water level was constant, even though the spring is supposed to be hundreds of years old._How odd..._I stared into the water looked normal, and all I could see was my own reflection.

My eyes were puffy and had large bangs under them, and my hair was messy with solid lose ends poking in every direction. We were on the run for days, and neither of us managed to get any sleep ever since the thief Bakura slithered his way into our lives.

Isis took off her Millennium Necklace and placed it underwater on the bottom of the hole.

She started reciting a chant I had never heard before and picked up the water in her cupped hands and rubbed the water on my forehead.

My heart was beating fast and my breath caught in my throught. I was nervous about what was going to happen next._ Did the spring really have magical powers?_

Isis continued the ritual, this time rubbing my Millennium Pyramid with the spring water.

It must've been only a minute, though to me it felt like an lowered her head when she closed her eyes before I noticed the tears forming at the corners.

_Nothing's happening. I was right.._

I heard the neigh and hoof steps of Bakura's horse as it was trying to grip the jagged rocks to climb up to the cave._ We aren't even worth the bother to him of having him climb over to us on foot ,_I thought.I knew with dread that the Millennium Rod was probably already hanging from his white silk belt.

_At least, the last thing I can do is apologize properly to my friends_.I clutched the Millennium Pyramid close to my chest. _Isis. I'm sorry…_I closed my eyes as I felt a watery sting.I could hear him shouting at us. _I wish I could change our destinies ..._he was getting closer.._ if only …_

Closer…my heart was beating faster and faster now…I was scared…_ I had the power to make everything right again, to turn back the flow of time and prevent this from happening…_

I didn't notice at the time..

I heard the hoof steps had reached the cave entrance.

I didn't notice the Millennium necklace…it started to glow in a beautiful golden glow…

"Get out of my way…" he growled loudly.

"I can't let you hurt my Ouji!"said the voice of a young girl.._young girl_...MANA!

_no…No…__**NO**__!!! _I tried to shout but my voice was caught in my throught and I could only let out a string of weak sobs._.._she was supposed to be hiding far away from this place, why did she follow us?._ I can't afford to lose you too, Mana…_

I looked outside…Mana's Ka, in the shape of a pale wheat-haired magician girl, was blasting away at the snake-man set like an impregnable wall in front of its owner.

She was no match for him with all the 5 items in his possession…he left the monster to fight as he made his way towards the cave.

We were trapped.

It was then that I noticed the golden glow coming from the spring...but not only the spring...my chest...my eyes darted downwards…the Millennium Pyramid was now glowing as glow got brighter and seemed to slow down, near a standstill . I felt like I was suffocating…

_Is this the light of Ma'at's divine justice, as Isis predicted?_

I turned my head back to the cave entrance and the last thing I saw was the bewildered face of the thief.

"WHAT THE…?" That was it. He never got to finish. The glow engulfed him..Isis…Mana..the Ka's that were still fighting outside and the frightened horse…then the hill..then the sky..

Then I couldn't see anything anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Turning back time

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A/N: Sorry for the long time between updates, I was having trouble with how I should write this chapter.I still find it pretty weak, but I guess it's better than nothing, right?

Not many references here, remember it's Atem's POV.

_Italics_ = thoughts

" " = dialogue

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I felt light headed and woozy. The bright glow dimmed down to a soft, warm ray of Ra's light warming up my face. My eyes still stinging , I grimaced a bit, trying to pull myself together. I was afraid to get up.

_Did it work?Did Ma'at save us?_

Then I heard an unfamiliar voice next to me.

"Are you alright?".

_Was he talking to me?_

I felt a hand grab my arm and pull me in a sitting position._ Did I faint? _I opened my eyes slowly, unsure of who was next to me or what his intentions might be. I moved my head towards the source of the voice. It took almost a full minute before my eyes adjusted and I could see the shape of a man dressed in a long, gray robe and a large turban on his head. He looked like a merchant.

"What befell you, my good fellow? I found you unconscious here on the side-road " he said to me as he pulled me up. "The gods were smiling on you today, to have been found by me in your vulnerable state, people around these parts don't spare rich folks such as you".

_Around these parts?_

Then it dawned on me that I wasn't in the cave anymore. I was somewhere in an alleyway, in a village, somewhere..somewhere familiar, yet different.._where am I? Am I…_

I pulled myself to my feet, wanting to explore my surroundings. I wanted to ask the person to accompany me, but he seemed to be able to read my thoughts, as he quickly added "You can't travel around here all by yourself, my good fellow! Come with me, I'll take you to my stand and I'll show you some useful items you'll need for your trip!"

_So he was a merchant.. _

He took me by the shoulder and walked me through the marketplace, while people of all kinds, merchants, buyers, travelers, even beggars all stared at me at least once before getting back to their business, which I found rather odd. _What was so interesting about me?_I looked the same, as far as I know.._is it my hair?_

"My good sir" I started, "I appreciate your generosity, but I'm not looking to buy anything". I wanted to get straight to the point, ask him about this place, and what happened to my friends.

He looked at me with a disapproving look and added "No, we can't have that. I told you without my help there's a good chance you'll get mugged in this village". He winked at me and added "You'll reconsider once you see my great bargains!"

I scoffed at the man when I saw I wasn't getting through to him over his greed and left. There was bound to be someone else here willing to help me out.

Then I felt something pull at my neck and I saw a pair of men run by me. One of them elbowed me in the gut, knocking the wind out of me, while the other one tore the Millennium Pyramid's string from around my neck and ran off with it into the crowd.

I ran after the men, pushing through the mass of onlookers, yelling at someone, anyone to stop them.

I thought I was going to lose the precious item, when , seemingly out of nowhere, a middle-aged man stepped forward and punched the thief who held my item in the jaw, knocking off his balance.

The other thief tried to hit the man from behind, but he pulled out a knife and stabbed the thief in the shoulder, making him cry out in pain. The first of the pair dropped the Pyramid, deciding it wasn't worth losing his life over, and ran off into the crowd, followed closely by the other one, who swore vengeance upon the man who hurt him before disappearing into the distance.

I took this opportunity to get closer and try to reclaim my item, hoping this person wasn't interested in taking it for himself as well. Just as I dropped down to my knees to take my necklace back, he turned to me.

"You shouldn't wander through in this village wearing so much golden jewelry, my boy", he told me .

_So that was it...people were staring at my royal garments_. Only then did I realize with a flush of embarrassment that I looked like a fancy peacock striding around with glittering ornaments whilst everyone else was dressed in dirty peasant clothing. This was indeed a poor village.

The man smiled kindly to me "I'm sorry about these kids" he said, referring to the thieves that attacked me earlier "They've been causing trouble for quite some time. Expect a lot of people to try to get their hands on your jewelry. If I were you, I'd get rid of them before you get into serious trouble. "

Remembering what the merchant told me, I asked, jokingly "People around here aren't very nice, are they?"

"It's not a matter of naughty or nice, my boy" he replied "It's a matter of getting bread on the table at the end of the day.". His tone was serious, and it made me feel bad about my joke.

We started walking away, as the people too went about their daily lives, as if the incident never even happened.

I took this opportunity to get a better look at my savior. He was an average man by all accounts. He had a short, pointy, gray-hair ridden black beard and mustache and a cloth covering his head, and he wore simple, purple and tan clothing. His facial features were soft and kind, unlike the people I've met thus far.

He reminded me of my father somewhat. At least, as much as I can remember about him, it's been quite a while since he's passed on.

The man looked around , never making eye contact with me, as he kept talking. "This place used to be a flourishing village twenty, even ten years ago. Alas, it was fate that led to our downfall. Our village is one of great blacksmith tradition, but our products aren't needed anymore. Without wars, there was no need for weapons, and thus no need for us. Things started to fall apart when the palace stopped ordering our products. Then the people resorted to stealing just to make end's meet. Everyone does it nowadays. It breaks my heart to see how much we've fallen, and what the youth around here are leaning towards. Rather than learning to wield a hammer, they learn to kill and pillage. "

Then he stopped talking , letting an eerie silence settle in. He was genuinely saddened by his own story.

I didn't know what to say, other than the obvious."I'm sorry for your people"

He smiled a weak smile and shook his head "Don't feel bad for us. It was only a matter of time before it got to this. Having only one strong quality in the end leads to such things."

I looked up to him and asked "Well, what about you? If everyone here's a thief, aren't you one as well?"

He chuckled and replied "I too admit I had my fair share of crimes. But I decided this wasn't the life I wanted for my wife and son. I decided to make my late father's last wish come true and continue the village's blacksmith tradition. It's not earning me much, but I've been saving up to move out of here, to the village of Vaiin. There, I'll be able to sell my products better and I'll be able to feed my family."

_Vaiin? I knew this village! This couldn't be?_

"What's wrong? You seem pale all of a sudden" he asked me with a worried tone.

"Is this..Kul Elna?" I said , barely above a whisper.

"Why yes it is" he answered, bewildered. "You didn't even know where you were? How did you get here then?"

Then it all made sense. _That's why it seemed so familiar!_ I've been here once before, only 2 weeks ago, when the Thief King Bakura lured me here and tried to kill me with his army of wraiths.

But the village was in ruins, the building merely shells of their former glory, and there was no sign of life…I knew the place was a haven for ghosts, but then I found out the true story of how it came to be that way...that it was my father who ordered them all to be sacrificed, under the angered eyes of the thief, and made into the items alike the one around my neck.

I remember I refused to accept the fact that my father would do suck a thing. My father was a righteous man, with a pure heart and goodwill towards all his people._ There must be more to this that the thief wouldn't tell me._ The thief must've lied to me, I'm sure of it._  
_

Then I realized that if the village was back together, the spring must've granted my wish…._to turn back the flow of time_..._Isis was right, this could be my chance to save everyone!_

If I went back in time , then maybe I could stop the retched thief Bakura before he got to the palace! I needed to find him and quick.

Nobody seems to recognize me, so it must be before I became Pharaoh.

"So I see you're here by chance." the man continued, interrupting me from my thoughts.

_Maybe this man could help me. He seems to be the first genuinely nice person I've met here._

"I'm looking for The Thief King. Do you know where he is?" I finally answered.

The man frowned at this statement. "Yes, I know him. Everyone does. This wretched thief, who entitled himself as "king", came here a few years ago and took advantage of the people's desperation and poverty. The youth were easily impressed and created a formidable group that goes out every now and again to steal from the King's Valley or the treasuries of aristocrats. He holds the village under his foot and all his demands are to be met or else his wrath turns towards us. We're nothing but slaves to him and his cohort."

He added "I'd rather you not cross him, my boy , for I wouldn't be able to save you from this black-hearted man".

His words may as well be true, but I already know what the Thief King can do and I won't let this second chance go to waste.

"I need to see him. It's very important.". I looked at him with a determined look on my face. I knew he would insist on trying to stop me , but nothing he could say to me would turn me away from my duty to my people, and to my departed friends who trusted me.

He seemed to have understood my reasons from my stern look and breathed a heavy sigh of defeat.

"I can't take you to him myself, but I can show you the way. "

He took me through a side alley and to the end of the road. The sun was already setting and it was getting cold. I blew hot air into my hands and wrapped them together as we reached the end of the village.

The man pointed towards the horizon, to the sunrise east , and said "Going straight ahead, it'll be almost an hour on foot till you reach a cave in the sand. This is where he made his lair, and where you'll probably find him. I can do no more for you. I just hope you'll survive to meet me here again tomorrow"

I looked at him confidently and reassured him I'll be fine.

"Before going there, I'd get rid of these ornaments, if I were you." he added quickly before walking away.

I then realized that I'd probably get attacked again for the riches adorning my body and decided to listen to the man. I'll have to hide these somewhere safe.

I waited until he was out of sight and went back into the alley. I walked around till I found an old building with a crumbled wall and I took off all my jewelry , sans the Pyramid and an armband, and hid it all inside the crack, covering it with dirt and rocks. I hid the two remaining pieces under my clothes and after a last look back at the quiet village, made my way towards Bakura's hideout.

I walked towards the sandy hill, which glistened like gold in the setting sun . The wind was harsh and it hardened my trip. I think it took me two hours instead of one to reach the cave I was told about.

It was already night out and the cave glowed with the light of many candles, and the cheery dings of many glasses knocking into each other in a festive tone, as well as spoons clashing onto metal dinner plates, in what sounded like a big feast, could be heard from as far as a dune away.

There was no sign of human beings outside, as the horses too were enjoying a hard-earned meal of oats as they sat tied to their posts , completely ignoring my presence.

I peeked inside wearily, but I was not able to take more than 2 steps before I felt a cold metal blade sticking into my side. A pair of young thieves jumped at me from behind, grinning like a pair of lions to their unknowing prey. I didn't even sense their presence!

"Well, we seem to have a brave wanderer around our parts. What brings you here, stranger? "asked one of them happily. I see few people have dared venture out here indeed, and with good cause.

I raised my arms slowly in a sign of defeat, but kept my composure and a serious tone of voice "I came here to talk to the Thief King. I have a personal problem I need to discuss with him."

The two laughed heartily at me before the person said again "You have guts ordering us around…very well, we'll take you, but try anything funny and we'll be plugging the draft cracks in the main room with your skin!"

He pushed me on with the knife as I walked inside.

I was right, it was a feast, and there were many thieves here, all of whom stopped their celebration to eye me as I walked towards the center of the room. There were many stolen goods here, anything from gold coins, to bracelets, necklaces, zebra and lion skins and many more,as the smell of expensive imported condiments from the Far East filled the air.

I could say that I never saw so many priceless items all in the same place, and I have lived at the Royal Palace all my life!

We finally stopped as the thief hit me on the back of my legs, forcing me to kneel down, and addressed the person sitting on a (probably stolen) jewel-encrusted throne "My King, this puny stranger here said he wanted to talk to you."

I looked up towards the Thief King, hoping to finally accomplish my goal here.

Then I felt my heart shrink as I layed my eyes upon his face.

_This..this can't be! This isn't him! _

The person..the person standing before me wasn't Bakura…no, I've never seen this person before…

"You're not the Thief King!" I said, barely keeping my voice from cracking down into a whisper.

"But of course I am" the man on the throne responded. "Who did you expect?" he added, chuckling upon seeming my shocked expression amused him greatly.

_This can't be happening…if Bakura isn't the Thief King.. then.. who is he? Where is Bakura?  
_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The person I was looking for

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A/N: Thanks everyone for the awesome reviews! Sorry again about my English (it's my 3rd language -_- ), I'm trying not to be that bad a writer.

I got this chapter done more quickly since I knew what I wanted to write in it better than the one before it.

All the characters not featured in the series are made up for the sake of the plot. I have no idea what they would look/act in the manga.

Well, this chapter should bring the answers you were waiting for. Hope the plot twist isn't (too) obvious.

Atem's POV till I say otherwise.

_Italics_ = thoughts

" " = dialogue

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I couldn't get a hold of myself. Things were spiraling out of control.

_I thought Bakura was the King of Thieves…who is this person?_

I stared at him for what must've been a full minute before I regained my composure and stood up straight, surprising my captors, who were probably expecting me to break down in tears. _I'm not giving them this pleasure._

_I must've gone back before Bakura became the Thief King._

I coughed into my hand and put on an emotionless face before addressing the thieves leader before me. Even if I didn't find who I was looking for, I still could make use of this predicament.

"So, I take it you're the Thief King then?"

"Do you see anybody else worthy of the title lingering around here?" he said sarcastically, as if daring me to suggest a better "leader" for the low lives he commanded.

I smirked at his prideful tone and kept going

"Then I apologize for my behavior. I wanted to make sure I was brought only to the finest of all thieves to ask for a most important favor". This change of tone brought a bemused look on his face, and he gestured with his hand for me to continue. It was obvious now that my stroking of his ego was working well.

"I want you to find a certain person for me".

The Thief King rubbed his cheek and looked to the side, seemingly loosing interest in me. He finally looked back at me when he considered I became stressed and desperate enough and replied

"And what reason would I have to provide any information for you?"

_I knew it would come to this._

In a quick gesture that startled the thieves around me, I put my hand through the neck of my shirt and pulled out the golden armband I brought with me. I knew it was a good thing my clothes were loose enough act like a pouch and also concealed the Pyramid's shape from sight.

I held the golden armband up high enough for everyone to see it, and after letting them see it for a couple of seconds, as if teasing a bunch of hungry jackals with a juicy bone, I threw it at the leader's feet with an audible "clunk".

He picked it up and started inspecting it like an expert jeweler upon discussing a payment plan.

"This armband is one of the most precious pieces of jewelry you'll find in all of Egypt, an alloy made by the best court alchemists of Egypt's royal palace." I continued playing upon his interests. "I assure you it's 100% genuine"

"And how did a puny peasant like you come upon such treasure?" he asked me after laying the ornament down beside him.

_I take it this is a private catch, not one to share with the low dogs. Then he admits to it's value as irreplaceable._

"I have a man with inside ties to the Palace Guards". I replied quickly, hoping this fib will be overlooked as I continued "but the person I was looking for has disturbed me and I seek retribution. That's why I've come to you, recommended as the best in the business". I had to keep it up just a little while longer.

He shook his head in mild agreement of his "qualities", knowing from my praises that I had more bargaining to do.

"What I have brought here is just one piece of a full set of royal garments, which I have in my possession in a secret location. If you can eliminate the person I'm looking for, I'll give you and your men the entire set, which is worth by itself more than everything you've ever gotten your hands on in your life"

The thieves around the tables exchanged glances with one another, seemingly excited at the idea of the best hoard of their lives, and loud chattering started around me.

I lowered my head a little, the serious expression never once leaving my face, but my insides were hurting me. I couldn't believe I'd lower myself so much as to ask for tens of criminals to murder a lone man, no matter how evil.

_How would I be better by finding allies in people just as wretched as him?_

A full minute passed before the Thief King probably decided to take my case and by just a swift rise of his hand, the cave fell into complete silence once again.

It was back to just me and him.

"Very well then . You have a good mouth on you to wallow the enemy into your gratitude, I am impressed. You're not an educated slob like the rest of the clutter in the village west of here."

_I should take it that this is a compliment._

" So then, who is this person that you want to see greeting Anubis by the rise of the blessed dawn of Khepra?"

_I'm still having doubts about killing him, I think just scaring him into staying away form my family would suffice. I'd better ask for them to take me to him first, and then I'll decide if there is no other way._

_I don't want to stoop to his level so quickly._

"I'm looking for a person named Bakura from the village of Kul Elna. I have reasons to believe he's part of your group."

The Thief King scowled at me, seemingly taken aback by my accusing one of his underlings of crossing me, but he responded nonetheless.

"I don't know this Bakura you're searching for, but I assure you, if one of my men would dare go out of his boundaries with me, I would know and punish him accordingly. Above all, I am a man of my honor."

He stood up (and seemingly his stature wasn't very imposing), although his aristocratic clothing and hundreds of gold ornaments made him shine in the dim light like a firefly in a pyramid grave, attracting all attention upon him again.

He walked by me and stood in the middle of the room. He turned around to look at me and with a loud tone, asked

"Do you see the man you're looking for among us?".

I peered around, trying to match a face to that of the thief. I figured it wouldn't be hard for a man with white hair and lavender eyes to stand out in a crowd of dark charcoal, no matter how different he might've looked like in the past, compared to how he looks in my time.

"He isn't here" I replied after a few minutes , my disappointment obvious in my tone, but my Ka lightening of relief that I wouldn't have to assist to his execution.

"Then we will find him. Who here knows this Bakura person will be rightfully rewarded!" the Thief King continued.

A crowd of loud murmurs started among the thieves as they seemed clueless about a criminal I was sure was infamous to his kin.

A few people eves shook their heads at me. Nobody seemed to know him.

I was getting nervous again. Things were going bad for me again.

Then one of the younger thieves, barely showing a trace of a mustache, peeped up.

"I think I heard that name a short while ago. He's Takunin's son"

Then the chattering got louder, as the crowd seemed to focus on this new person of whom I've never heard before.

_No matter, this was a good enough lead for my needs._

The Thief King smiled in satisfaction, as if this was a test of competence his men braved. He could keep his image of an all knowing Thoth for another day.

"Very well then, and I assume you know where this Takunin person lives?" he asked the young adviser

The young thief nodded and I quickly asked before the order was given "I want to see this man in person before I decide if I want to have his son killed or not. I want to see if I'm not given any other alternative. Please give me till the rise of Khepra the next day to have a talk with him.". The thieves looked dissatisfied at the idea of sparing a traitor.

I turned to the leader, knowing he'd understand this reasoning

"I would rather make an ally than kill an enemy I might have found useful later on." This statement got a nod of approval.

"You are indeed a worth fellow. I will grant you this chance. But even if you change your mind, I still demand the payment you promised, or else YOU will not live to see the rise of Khepra again. Do not cross me."

He gestured for the young thief to come forward

"Take this lad to the person he asked for. Make sure he doesn't get out of your sight once you get there. My other men will arrive at dawn to check up on you."

The underling bowed before him and went outside to one of the horses.

He told me to hop on in front of him and rammed the horse in his sides once, causing it to neigh loudly and ran off towards the village.

The trip was silent at first, hearing only the roaring wind bang against my ears and the hooves of the horse hitting the sand. I wanted to break this barrier between us. Even if he was a thief, he was the only person here keeping me from sinking into my own depressing thoughts.

"So you know this Takunin person? Is he also a thief?" I asked.

"Yes " he replied , probably as happy as I was to start a conversation, "But not one of us. He could've been, but he refused. I say it was stupid of him, though it's his own decision. Let him suffer in his own poverty, he'll see what a mistake it was. If it wasn't for his father, he would've been living on the streets by now."

"I see you know him well" I replied, curiosity getting the better of me.

I wondered what kind of parents would raise such a horrible person like Bakura.

"Everyone knows him more or less. He's sort of a sore thumb at times, but we don't take him too seriously. He was a cunning thief at his peak, but he's past that age and I see he's just waiting to pass away. "

_The man I talked to earlier was right…everyone's a thief in this dying village._

"So you say you're looking for his son?" he added. I confirmed this statement right away.

There was another bout of silence between us before the thief started chuckling, taking me by surprise. _What's so funny?_

Aware of his own strange behavior, he explained

"I'm just really curious at to what that person could've done to you to gather such hatred from you"

"He brought great suffering upon me and my close ones, and I want retribution for it". I decided this answer was sufficient for his needs.

He started chuckling again, this time louder and lasting longer than before. I didn't know what was so funny about this.

After he got all the laughs out of himself we stopped talking for the rest of the trip. I decided it might just as well be better than to be laughed at by a lowly criminal.

When we finally reached the village I looked around. It was late at night and the streets were empty. The thief beckoned to horse to move slower, not wanting to make our presence heard in the street.

I followed the pattern he took, going into a neighborhood full of golden-lightened houses.

He stopped near a larger house by the street, and told me to get off.

_I guess this is where he lives._

I went to the front door, looking as the thief hid behind another house. He was going to watch me till I finished my "negotiation". Then I felt a wave of panic consume me. I didn't know what to do.

_Should I just knock on the door? What would I say?_

I was thinking of making a surprise attack, jump through the window and take out Bakura before anybody realized what happened, but what if I would be the one who got attacked instead?

_I'm not a criminal. I can't do such a thing._

I took a deep breath, deciding to improvise once I made sure I met the right person.

I knocked on the door twice and waited.

I turned my head towards the thief, but he had already hidden himself. I knew he was still there, but I couldn't see him anymore.

Then the door opened and I froze.

Everything I was prepared to say flew out of my mind once I saw who it was at the door.

_This person...I saw him before! This is the man that saved me from the thieves in the marketplace today!_

I felt betrayed at this development.

The man's face lightened up when he recognized me.

"Oh, it's you my lad! I'm glad to see you made it back safely. What brings you to my house?"

I mumbled about not having a place to sleep, and that it was by chance that I found him again. He seemed to buy it and beckoned me inside.

He made a gesture for me to sit down across from hit at the table and started quizzing me about what I did, if I found who I was looking for and all other things you'd expect a friend to ask when returning form a long trip.

I lied the best I could thinking of what I'd say to get someone off my case. He never once seemed to question my answers, he seemed genuinely happy to see me again.

Then he frowned for a moment, remembering something important.

"I apologize for my rude behavior. I didn't even ask your name"

_Nobody knows me, there's no point in hiding my identity from this man._

"My name's Atem" I replied, making it probably the first truthful statement I told this man since he invited me into his home.

He smiled gently and said "I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Takunin of the great blacksmith Piren". He seemed proud of his legacy.

"I guess you must be hungry from your trip, am I right?". He couldn't've guessed it better. He chuckled at my blushing face and called for his wife.

A woman came downstairs and smiled upon seeing me. She was much younger than him, and had a beautiful straight face of which you'd see in empresses rather than peons. Her eyes and hair were as dark as the abyss and I felt another wave of red blush cross my face when I thought the man would get upset at me eyeing his wife for such a long time.

The woman probably realized what I was blushing for and let out a small chuckle herself, covering her small mouth with her hand as she went next to her husband.

"This is my darling wife, Amina" Takunin told me, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, as if to confirm to me how much he loved her.

She bowed to me in respect before going over to get the dinnerware they had stored in a cupboard. I assume this was the "fancy" dinnerware they had reserved for guests, as some of the plates looked expensive.

I didn't say anything while we ate, except maybe a few compliments to the cook (also to try to get on their good side), but my mind was darkened and my mood was terrible.

I expected to find some lowly hicks, probably violent and drunk, but I was proven wrong. These weren't the kind of parents I expected a person like Bakura to have.

_How could people this nice end up with a son as horrible as him? He doesn't deserve them one bit._

I waited till dinner was over to try to get up a conversation going again.

At this point, I was starting to doubt that I reached the right people at all, and that I jumped head first into the wrong group again. I kept staring at Amina as she picked up the plates and took them to the washing bowl on the other side of the room. She reminded me of Isis somewhat, and another wave of sadness took me over.

Takunin was apparently following my gaze as he put a hand on my shoulder and smiled

"You like her?"

I blushed again. I wanted to make sure he didn't think I wanted to make a move on her "I think she's a great person."

His smile broadened. "That's why I married her. I love her truly and for her and my son's future I decided to make an honest living"

_This is my chance . _

I pretended to be bit surprised at the mentioning of a "son".

"You told me about your son before, Mr. Takunin. I was wondering if I could meet him"

The man sighed and gestured towards the door leading to the room upstairs.

"Yes, my son Bakura. He's sleeping upstairs right now, but if you promise to be quiet, I'll have Amina take you up to see him"

I nodded.

_I'm finally getting close to my goal. _

He gestured for his wife to come take me upstairs as he went to finish the dishes in her place.

I used this moment to grab a knife sitting on the table and hide it in my slash under my robe.

_I have to be prepared for anything. Even if he doesn't know me yet, I might need to defend myself._

The woman whispered to me "He's always sleeping at this hour. I'll show you his bed, but don't make any loud noises. He starts screaming if he gets woken up at night. He's pretty bossy with me". She chuckled once, amused by her offspring's behavior.

I scoffed. Just what I would expect of a brat like him.

She took me upstairs to a large room which seemed to be a mix of a guestroom, bedroom and storage room, with lots of metal objects lying down near the door.

He took me to the end of the room, which had 2 beds near a window to the right, and what I could make out through the dark to be another one in the far left corner, covered by a large purple curtain.

She gestured again with her finger to her lips that I shouldn't make a sound and gently tugged the curtain away.

_This was it._

My hand went for the knife and I grabbed the handle, getting ready to take it out and strike at my enemy.

She pulled the curtain away and smiled at the sleeping figure, pulling me next to her so I could see him.

_Oh dear Ra this can't be!!_

My hand fell off the handle of the knife, and I was glad I didn't pull it out yet, or else her seeing me with it might have lead to serious trouble.

I was too shocked to think about such a thing right now. My eyes went wide and my breath stopped in my throat. My heart beat wildly, but I had no intention of trying to get it under control anymore. I couldn't've expected this…my heart was filled with feelings of hopelessness and despair, mixed with the anger that was bottle up inside me all throughout the day.

Finally the young thieves' words made sense.

_Is this...is this.. _Even my thoughts couldn't string themselves together.

On the large cushioned bed nested with pillows slept a small baby with short, spiky white locks and a sweet, angelic face, small round nose and large closed eyelids, his bare chest uncovered from the white satin cloth moving steadily as he breathed, with his arms sprawled on either side of his head and his tiny hands balling into fists with every breath he took.

_It...it can't be…_

The woman looked at the baby proudly, and moving closer to me, seemingly unaware of my gaping jaw, whispered in my ear "This is my son, Bakura".


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A tough decision

A/N: I can't believe I left this aside for so long. I always intended to finish this story, but I never sat down on it again. Well, here's the next chapter. I'll try to update more frequently to get this finished. Hope I'm not too rusty.

Atem's POV till I say otherwise.

_Italics_ = thoughts

" " = dialogue

_This is terrible…_

When I first found out who Takunin was, I was expecting to find myself in a distant past, but not this far. Dear Ra, a baby?

The woman gently brushed the white locks out of the sleeping child's face and smiled at him. I stared at him; apart from his hair, he looked…normal. Just like every other baby out there. Somehow, this made it all worse. The silence made me stiffen. I had to say something, and I had one question I needed an answer to.

"How old is your son?" I whispered to her, my voice cracking as the words came out of my throat. My mouth had dried up and I tried not to swallow too loudly.

"He'll be 3 months old by the next full moon" she whispered back proudly.

_Only 3 months old?_

I tried to keep a straight face, but inside I was a wreck. When I made my wish, I was certain of what I had to do. If I killed Bakura, all would be well. My people would be safe. Even if it was murder, it would be for the best of everyone, I thought. It wasn't an easy decision to make though. I'm not a criminal, and if I were left any other choice, I would've never even consider it. Mahaad's death made my decision for me. Bakura had to go, for the sake of everyone else.

Now...now I don't know what to do anymore. Killing a full grown man is one thing, but killing a baby, regardless of who he'll become in the distant future…it'd make me a monster beyond redemption. But if I don't, everything I've managed to do so far will be in vain.

I stood there like a stone statue, unmoving, expressionless and cold. I stared into space for what felt like eternity, waiting for a sign on what I should do. The child slept on, unaware that his life could end by my hands at any moment if I so chose.

I felt a soft hand on my shoulder, and goose bumps ran down my spine. I finally snapped out of my daze and turned my head stiffly to the side. I almost expected to hear a wooden crackle from my neck as it moved, as I felt I were a marionette played around with by the strings of fate.

The woman named Amina gestured with a soft nod for us to leave. I stood there for a few moments too long, unsure of what to do. A part of me had been waiting for this ever since she removed the curtain, ready to run away and never look back. At the same time, I knew there was no turning back now. Going to the past was our only chance of stopping Bakura anymore and this was the one place and time I had the advantage.

_I have no choice. Even if I'll regret it for the rest of my life, I'll kill him when everyone's asleep and make my escape. _

I gathered the pieces of my broken heart together and got up to my feet. I moved ever so slowly across the room, dragging along on the wooden floor. I stopped at the stairs and looked back at the baby. The woman kissed his forehead gently and pulled the satin cloth over his bare chest, then came after me.

I rubbed my temples and sighed quietly. These people are so nice, I feel like such a bastard to do this to them. They genuinely love their child and they trust me as a friend. I wonder if the gods will forgive me, because these people certain won't.

The rest of the evening went on as awkward as I felt. Bakura's father and I made petty conversation while the young mother served us drinks and went about her leftover chores. After a while I stopped talking, leaving him to tell stories about his ancestors, great lands he's heard about from distant travelers and how important his village used to be in arming the past pharaoh's armies against invaders.

Even though things were going along smoothly, the pain in my chest was getting stronger. The moment of truth grew closer with each minute, and the expressionless mask I put on that night was starting to fade away, revealing my sadness.

Takunin seemed to pick up on this, and I could tell he was getting worried about me.

"My boy, you've been silent for almost an hour now. If there's anything wrong, you can tell me and I'll do anything I can to help you"

_You can't help me. Nobody can. This is something I have to do on my own._

I smiled a weak smile. "Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking…" I paused. He waited for me to finish. "You have a wonderful family".

_I can't say what I'm thinking about. A month ago, I would've scolded myself for the horrible thoughts running through my mind at this moment._

He smiled at my statement.

"Yes, I think so too. This is why I've been thinking of moving away from this place. Kul Elna's become a mere husk of what it used to be. The once proud people whom the pharaoh's emissaries personally asked for their services have all but died, and their kin are now snatching blankets from windows to clothe themselves. It's a sad place and I'd rather my son not grow up to see it like this."

As if on queue, a loud wail started in the room upstairs, drawing everyone's attention to it. The woman smiled and set down the wine flask.

"It seems Bakura wants me to serve him dinner as well. I'll be right back" she said and headed towards the stairs.

The crying stopped very soon as I guessed he was getting the milk he asked for. My mind started to wonder and soon I realized I was imagining the young woman slowly taking off her top, revealing her chest and soft breast. I blushed hard and tried to remove these indecent thoughts before they went too far.

Takunin was probably getting used to my constant blushing as he didn't see anything wrong with me nor did he make any comments about my beet red face.

Awkward silence settled in once more. He had no more stories to tell me, no clunks of glasses or plates being put or removed from the table, not even the sound of a pendulum to break the gloomy mood that was settling in at a fast pace. I found myself almost begging for something to distract me from this situation.

I started counting the minutes since Amina left the room. It had been over 10 minutes and the room was still quiet. I wondered if the man was just waiting for me to tell my own tale or if he was studying me for some reason. I couldn't blame him though, I guess I did stand out among these people. My good clothes were hidden under a loose ragged robe, but my face and arms were exposed. The mismatch was very obvious as my face was too clean and rather pale for a peasant. I also noticed for the first time how smooth my hands were. Takunin's were hardened and rugged, the hands of a working man.

Me, I never once held a plow. I had a few lessons in self defense as every man in the palace was required to do, but never to the point where my hands started to hurt against the wooden handle of the spear or bow. It was obvious I lived a pampered life up to this point. I guess this is also why losing it all at once left such a big impact on me...

The door upstairs creaked open as the woman returned into the dining room. I glanced her way casually until I noticed the wrapped bundle she was cradling in her arms. The cloth moved slightly and the child turned around from his mother's chest, wiggling in place until he found a comfortable position facing towards us.

"He wouldn't go back to sleep. he saw the light downstairs and wanted to see who was here. We rarely have visitors and Bakura loves meeting new people. He wanted to be your host as well" the woman said smiling, as if she could tell what the baby was thinking, if that was even the case.

The child blinked a few times as if he was trying to focus his vision in the brightly lit room. His large purple eyes darted around the room and quickly settled on the unfamiliar element- me. He stared me down like a hawk, never breaking eye contact. It was actually unnerving to have him watching me with such interest. I tried not to look in his general direction, hoping he'd change his focus. No such luck. The baby started to gurgle and reached his chubby little arm towards me.

I didn't know what to do so I smiled as sweetly as I could, but I'm sure I wasn't very convincing. I never knew how to act around babies. The mother lifted him higher into her arms and gestured with her head that it was safe for me to touch him.

I remembered babies liked to cuddle, so I reached my hand to brush through his messy hair. As soon as my hand got close enough, he grabbed my middle finger tightly in his own tiny hands and put it in his mouth, suckling on it lightly.

I didn't know what I was supposed to make of that gesture. Was he thinking my hand was a tit? Was that supposed to be cute? I had no idea.

The woman chuckled at this and explained

"This is his way of saying hello. He likes you". I stared at the baby. His big eyes were still fully focused on me, as if he was waiting for a specific reaction from me.

_He... likes me? Why?_

I scrunched my face into the nicest smile I could muster at the moment, trying not to show my confusion. If only she knew how much we hated like each other in the present time, she'd understand how awkward this moment felt for me.

The baby finally lost interest in my finger, probably because no milk came out of it, no matter how hard he pulled on it with his lips. He squirmed around a little more and quickly fell asleep with a soundless yawn. The woman wrapped him tighter in the soft cloth and headed upstairs to put him back to bed.

_I suppose he IS kind of cute…_

Why did I think that? Why did I even care about something like that?_  
_

Midnight was fast approaching and I was getting more and more agitated. I had to commit my crime tonight or I would fail my only chance to defeat him. Still, for reasons still unclear to me, I wanted to postpone it as much as possible. Maybe it was because i was reluctant to murder a child, or was I feeling bad for him? The howl of a lone jackal could faintly be heard outside, as if Anubis was watching me. Then it all died down, leaving only the night crickets to break the silence. This was the sign my host seemed to be waiting for, as he picked up the half burnt candle form the table and told me come upstairs to sleep.

I didn't resist his invitation and followed the pair up the stairs into the makeshift bedroom. I settled into the furthest corner from the bed, covering myself with a cloth that was lying around. Despite the man's protests, I refused to sleep on the bed and laid down on the floor close to the window. It was cold and drafty, but I wasn't planning on sleeping anyway.

An hour or more passed as I waited with my back turned to the couple, my eyes cracked open and bloodshot. I barely kept myself from truly falling asleep, as my past weeks have been much too agitated and I had next to no time to rest.

I turned my head around slowly, trying not to make any noise. I watched the two for a couple of minutes. The woman was turned towards me and clearly asleep. The man was sleeping beside her with his face staring at the ceiling. I could see his chest moving up and down in a steady rhythm. I concluded he was fast asleep as well.

I got up and tip toed around the bed towards the curtain covered corner. I pulled the curtain, the baby resting on top of the cushions like he did when I first saw him. I unsheathed the knife again, this time having nobody to catch me in the act.

_This is it, this is the moment I've been waiting for…I'll kill him quickly and run away before they have time to react._

My heart caught in my throat and my breathing stopped. Was I already too afraid to do it? I blinked hard and shook my head. This is not the time to back away.

_Isis has faith in you to save our people…DO IT!_

With my hand shaking, I pulled the knife above my head, building momentum. I aimed for the heart, wanting to end it quick and painless. Even so, my hand came down slowly, much slower than I wanted to.

As I was lowering my hand, the baby shifted around and his eyes fluttered open just as the blade almost grazed his chest. I froze with my arm in the air, having not expected this. My heart stopped for a few moments, waiting for the baby to start crying and alert his parents.

But he never did. He looked at me quizzically, not making a sound. He wasn't scared and he didn't wail, he just stared at me with those big, innocent eyes of his.

_Why isn't he reacting? Doesn't he realize what's going on? Why is he looking at me like this? Is he trying to gain my sympathy?_

I got my composure back and I decided to finish my action before anything else happened. I pushed the knife forward again towards his chest.

_I'm sorry little one, but this is for the greater good… _

I didn't expect what happened next. The baby caught my hand in his own. My hand opened slightly in reaction to the touch and he stuck my finger in his mouth, just as he did earlier. He started suckling on it contently, his sweet eyes still focusing on my own... My arm instantly went soft. The knife slipped away and slid down on the curtain to the floor.

The child really did like me. He wasn't afraid of me because he knew I couldn't hurt him. And he was right... I couldn't.

My eyes stared into space as hot tears started streaming down my face. My heart finally broke down from all the feelings that were pounding away at me that day. I fell to my knees, tears still flowing strongly as I tried to keep from sobbing loudly. I couldn't kill an innocent child, Ra be damned who he'd become in 20 years. My mission was over.

_I'm sorry... Isis, Seto, Mahaad… everyone…I failed you..._

I didn't care anymore. I just couldn't do it. I loved him in a way I didn't quite understand. I felt like a foster parent to him, or maybe a big brother. I felt the need to protect the delicate being, as if he were my own flesh and blood. I think, deep inside, I was hoping I could change him.

_I've failed my friends and family…I can't show my face to Isis ever again._

That is, if I ever managed to get back to own time. It didn't matter though, I knew what was I was going to find. Fire, brimstone, death, and a cackling white haired thief waiting to get his hands on me. I was probably going to get killed by him or his demon Ka, but I couldn't get myself worked up over it anymore.

_Maybe I was always destined to fail…_

The baby released his grip on my hand and looked at me again, smiling softly. I smiled back and ran the tip of my fingers up and down his smooth, lightly tanned cheek. His smile grew and he fussed around a bit, moving his balled fists to try and touch my hands as the slight coolness of my fingers tickled his face.

I closed my eyes and sighed defeated. At least I got to see his more humane side, even if it was for only one night.

The baby fell asleep again after a few minutes of playing around, settling back into his soft cushions. I kept my eyes on him for a moment, trying to burn this image into my mind. I wasn't going to see it ever again.

I picked the knife off the floor and left the room. There was no reason for me to stay there anymore.

_I'll have to go back to the spring and use the Puzzle to get home. Or at least, I hope it will bring me home._

I took one least look at the house before heading down the lane. The building appeared to glow in the morning sunrise, as if Ra himself was telling me the person inside it special.

_Bakura…If only you were a hero and not a murderer, like your parents wanted you to be. Maybe then, we could start over…_

I walked slowly, my feet dragging as if stuck in a soft sand dune. I felt as if something was terribly wrong. Something I forgot…

I turned around to see the man from last night come out from behind the building. My eyes went wide when I remembered my deal with the Thief King.

"So, did you have your talk with the person you were looking for?" he asked me. I nodded quickly, a look of concern plastered on my face.

"Y-yes, your services aren't required anymore". I was stuttering. The thief caught on and frowned at me.

"Our leader doesn't want you to 'fix your problems'. He wants his payment". His voice was loud and demanding.

"And he shall receive it as soon as I get the goods" I answered him.

"Our deal was for you to have it in the morning! The Thief King is not pleased with people who go back on their word" He all but shouted.

I had to fix this situation. "I did not say I don't have the gold. But I don't have it on my person. Give me some time to go get it from where I left it"

"I'll come with you." The thief insisted.

"That won't be necessary". I couldn't take him with me, otherwise he would find out I had more gold then I told them and I'd be in greater trouble than I already am.

The thief clenched his teeth. He was angry with me. He probably thought I was going to run away from him. He grabbed me by my arm and insisted upon coming with me once again. When I refused once more, he threw me to the ground.

He whistled through his fingers and instantly 5 men with their faces hidden in dark velvet veils appeared from around corners and alleyways. they had been waiting there all night for his orders...

They stormed the house and I heard Amina's screaming, followed by an angry yell from her husband. Then all fell silent.

My eyes widened and my mouth fell open. Are they..?

_What have I done?_

The thieves exited the house with a bunch of stolen goods, including dinnerware, clothes, trinkets and whatever jewelry they could find. And also…

"Bakura!" I screamed.

One of the thieves was carrying the baby in his arms, holding him carelessly and flinging him around like a doll. The baby was crying loudly as his little body ached at the abuse. The cloaked thief handed him over to the thief standing beside me, who grabbed him and mounted the horse we rode into town.

I jumped at him, reaching for the child, but I was quickly knocked back down by the rest of the thieves around me.

"If you want this baby back, bring the goods in less then 2 hours to the den. Otherwise, we'll complete OUR end of the bargain and kill him." He stated and kicked the horse in the sides, making it run away as fast as it could.

The other thieves quickly followed him, and before I knew it, they were all gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: For what may come…

A/N: (update) I left this story on hiatus for a very long time, and I was thinking on not updating anymore, but I saw some people were still interested in it and I felt bad not finishing it for them, especially since this story was meant as more of a character analysis (of both Atem and Bakura) and it's one of the ideas I had thought about the most.

So, I finally got another chapter done. Been meaning to write a long time ago, but never had the time. This was originally the hardest chapter to make since I always skipped it in the concept, as many other "action" moments. I finally thought of a somewhat decent plot for it that ties it to the rest of the story.

Atem's POV till I say otherwise.

_Italics_ = thoughts

" " = dialogue

I stood on my hands and knees, looking at the thieves vanishing in the distance. I don't know how long I kept staring ahead in shock, but my body finally seemed to become aware of the situation and tears started streaming down my cheeks for the second time in the same day.

_I sentenced a poor child and his family to death! _

My mind kept making up twisted scenarios, of the baby being tortured, the family murdered in their own home with their earthbound souls cursing me for doing this to them. Then another thought, even worse than their deaths, crossed my mind…

_Was I the one that caused Bakura to become a horrible person? Is history a never-ending cycle, and me going back to the past is the real reason Bakura came to kill my family and friends? As revenge for what I've done just now? Am I doomed to repeat the same mistake over and over until the end of time? _

I felt hopeless again, a marionette played with by the Gods to amuse themselves. I felt like there was no use to do anything since history was always meant to happen the way it did, and I couldn't do anything to change that.

A loud scream woke me up from my depressed state and I turned around, seeing Takunin running out of the house towards me. His clothes were torn and he was bleeding in several places, but he was still in one piece.

I stood to my feet, relief washing over me as I realized the thieves spared them, but my mood quickly darkened when Takunin grabbed me by the front of my robe, holding me up to look me in the eye. He was angry and drops of blood mixed with saliva sprayed on my face when he yelled at me.

"WHY DO THESE PEOPLE KNOW YOU? WHERE HAVE THEY TAKEN MY SON?" He was almost unrecognizable. The gentle, kind face was twisted in hate, and his eyes tore into me like the fangs of a predator. I was scared of him, and my I didn't know what to say. I stood in silence for a few seconds, thinking of many things I could say, a lot of them blatant lies like everything I told him earlier, but my mouth decided not to cooperate. Instead, the first thing I said was the first thing my mind didn't think over.

"Is Amina alright? Please tell me she's still alive!"

His face softened as shock replaced anger as the most discernible look on his face. Of all the answers and all the excuses I could've said at that moment, I chose to show concern about a person I barely knew. Not only that, a person I was responsible for being in this state.

"I don't understand you" he said, deciding not to look at my face anymore. It wasn't that he felt sad for me, more like he was disgusted with me, as if looking at me would taint his soul. "Why would you care about what happened to us? You're….you're one of them!" he finished, making the words sound like an insult.

I never thought I'd feel hurt by the words of a thief, much less the father of Bakura. He made me feel less human than him, and with good reason too. From his point of view, there was no way to justify what I've done. The man saved me, welcomed me into his home, treated me like a friend, and how did I repay him? I had his house pillaged, his wife beaten …or worse. To top it all off, I got his only child kidnapped. And for what? He was just a poor blacksmith. For all he knew, he owned nothing that could be of any use to me.

"I know I can't make excuses right now, but I want you to know that I have nothing against you. Everything was my mistake and it would be cowardly of me not to take the responsibility for it." I said it with a stern look on my face, trying to sound serious and determined, but the hateful look he threw me showed otherwise.

He gritted his teeth and snarled at my statement. It sounded so hollow and indifferent, as if I'd just broken a plate and there was no reason to be alarmed. Nothing I could say would satisfy him right now. His grip loosened on my clothes and he started walking forward, limping slightly as his left leg seemed to give in when he put his weight on it. He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes.

"Where are they?" he said. He bent forward, grabbing a sharpened tool that was dropped by the thieves in their hasty retreat.

"I'm going to get my son back." He added, as if he was answering an obvious question I never asked.

I got up and I ran in front of him, blocking his path. He grabbed my shoulder and tried to push me aside, but I held my ground. His frustration with me grew and he raised his arms to strike me with the metal rod. I chose that moment to finish the statement I started earlier.

"And as I am entirely to blame, I will go and save your son from the Thief King". I looked him in the eye for the first time since the incident, my eyes gleaming with new-found determination.

He was taken aback by this, and lowered the makeshift weapon, his arms trembling from the pain of his wounds. He was in no condition to fight, let alone take on a horde of well-armed criminals.

"How would you do that…no…WHY would you do that? Isn't this what you want? For me and my family to suffer for your own enjoyment? Why would you want to undo it?" It hurt to hear him distrust me so much now. I fell from his favor so quickly...in a few quick minutes I went from friend to foe. And it made me feel terrible.

"No. This isn't at all what I want…I… "I paused for a moment, not sure of what to say.

_What DO I want anymore?_

"I want what's best for everyone. But I also want your son to live a normal life. I thought these two things couldn't exist together, but I was wrong. This is why I want to being him back safely."

_You made me realize the future can always turn out differently, and it all depends on how willing you are to look at the problem from another perspective. I'm glad I came here, otherwise I might have never learned this lesson._

His gaze softened a bit, probably not understanding what was wrong with me and my strange moral outline. Going back and forth between ally and executioner, criminal and martyr, all for no discernible reason…

"You dying in there won't make me forgive you. You stand no better chance at beating these thieves than I do. At least I'll die knowing I did everything I could for my family. Please, if there's still a human heart in you, step aside".

I looked down, not knowing what to do. My mind started offering me an assorted array of possibilities, from negotiation to brutally restrain him from further harming himself, and I again decided upon the worst one.

I let him go.

He sighed and smiled as he limped by, his face that of a man who was walking to his death. I watched him go, knowing he was too stubborn and heartbroken to listen to me anymore. I clenched my fists and swallowed the painful lump in my throat that had grown in the past few minutes I've been out here.

_But I could do something about it._

My first concern was to check up on Amina and make sure she could stay here alone. I ran into the house and started searching for her. She was sitting down in a corner, weeping quietly and was badly bruised, but her condition was decent, considering the circumstances. The thieves probably only shoved her aside when she tried to stop them, unlike her husband who was probably a bit more violent.

She looked up at me with a mix of fear and distrust. When I came closer she instinctively stiffened, as if I was going to hit her as well. I hugged her and told her everything would be alright, to which she lowered her defenses and a barrage of questions, fears and hypothesis started raining down upon me. I didn't bother to answer her and ran back out, knowing now that she'll probably survive until I return.

I ran through the streets, twisting around corners as I searched for the building I left my royal garments at. I rummaged through the remains, breathing a sigh of relief when I found the jewelry still there. I took off the tattered robe and used it as a makeshift sac, throwing everything inside. I then flung it over my back and searched for a mode of transportation.

I found a horse tied up in front of a house by the street, and decided it would to for now. I untied the reins and jumped on the sleepy animal, startling it into a running start before the owner could catch me stealing it.

I should've felt bad for stealing, but I didn't. I was starting to become less aware of the morality of my actions the more I did. It seemed that the more I hesitated, the more likely it was I'd do the wrong thing, so it made sense to me to just go with my feelings rather than think it over too much.

The only thing I could think about was the little child and how I was racing against time to save him. I couldn't see him as Bakura anymore. I tried to distance that image from my mind as much as possible. No, he was just a poor person's baby, caught up in my misdoings. He was too young to have done anything wrong. The future isn't the same as the past. He wasn't at fault here.

That's what I kept telling myself all the way.

The horse galloped through the sand, the harsh wind making my journey more difficult. It was like the Gods themselves were trying to stop me. I hit the horse with my heels, urging it to move on.

I finally reached the cave after half an hour. A group of thieves were standing at the entrance, probably waiting for me to finally arrive. I was relieved to see Takunin hadn't made it there yet, and I concluded he must've been foolishly trying to make this journey on foot.

When they saw me, they jumped like hungry hyenas and subdued the startled horse, not used to having many people grab it from all directions, and dragged me off the saddle. They took me inside and threw me at the feet of their king.

I stood up quickly and looked around. My ears focused on the wailing coming from my left side and I saw the thief from earlier who took Bakura. The child was being held carelessly to his leg, dangling in the air naked and cold, while the thief shook him to the sides like a feather duster. Bakura obviously wasn't enjoying this, as he kept screaming as loudly as he could.

The thief wasn't enjoying it either, as he shook the baby angrily and yelled at him to be quiet. The baby kept screaming until his voice started cracking and the screams turned to sobs and finally died down when he tired out completely. Only after the baby stopped making any sound did the thief stop shaking him, as I stared in horror thinking of how much the child must've been suffering in the time it took me to get here.

The infant's face had turned red from all the blood coursing to his head, his bruised body was limp and his eyes were frozen in terror as he looked straight at me, the only familiar face in this sea of evil strangers.

"Put the child down" was the first thing I said, completely ignoring the Thief King in front of me.

"You're not allowed to make demands of us right now" said the leader, taking the bad and looking inside. He scrunched his face when he inspected the bag's contents, probably expecting more jewelry than what I was offering him.

Nevertheless, he tied the sack back up and placed it behind him.

"Please" I insisted "The child will die if you don't stop abusing him like this!" I didn't know why I'd think the thieves cared about what happened to Bakura, but I had nothing else I could say to them. I guess I still believed them to be human enough to understand how horrible it is to torture a baby like this and maybe feel remorse, just like I did when I raised the knife.

The Thief King looked at me, glimpsing my Millennium Pyramid for the first time. The large golden object caught his greedy eyes and he smiled deviously.

"I see you've been holding out on your payment" he said, gesturing to the item around my neck. "So obviously, I too should break the deal and have this bothersome brat cut into pieces" he continued, hoping to scare me into submission. This garnered a few sneakers from his men, while I tried my best to keep my composure.

"Of course, since I'm a forgiving and kind person by nature, I'm willing to trade the child's safety for the golden object you still have on your person"

I hesitated. The Pyramid was a keepsake from my father, the source of my strength as Pharaoh and also the only way I could return home. At best, I would be stuck in the past and forced to live outside of my own timeline. At worst, I'd be giving a gruesome criminal access to the power of the Mystical Gods. How was this any better than letting Bakura win in the present?

I thought about it a few moments, but realized the more I waited, the greater the chances were the baby would die from my lack of action.

I reluctantly untied the Pyramid from my neck and handed it over to the smirking felon. He smugly looked down at me, tying the object around his own neck as if he had always deserved to wear it, and then turned it around in his hand as he started down at his own reflection shining in the reflective surface.

"I kept my promise. Now let the child go" I insisted, annoyed with the time he was taking with releasing the suffering infant.

"Very well" he said dissatisfied, as if I was bothering him from a private moment of self pampering, and gestured for his minions. "Kill them both and dispose of the bodies".

I could say I was expecting this, but I was still shocked to see a man so lowly as to back out on his word this quickly after winning everything he could've possibly wanted.

Rage was bubbling up inside me. I wanted to see him feel the same pain the child was feeling, to see if he would still act this way in his place, but I knew it was useless. He wouldn't care no matter what I said; all my pleas would be in vain. I shot him an angry glare, letting him know that I was just as furious on the inside as the outside.

Just then, I heard loud noises coming from outside, and I saw the horse I rode earlier storming in, frightened and agitated, trying to hit anyone that crossed its path. The crowd gathered in the center of the cave scattered away before a few braver men finally reacted and caught the rampaging animal.

Everyone looked towards the cave entrance, wondering how the animal escaped and got inside, but was surprised to see a wounded middle aged man walk inside dragging a bloodied metal rod.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: My future for him **

Sorry if this chapter is a bit short, but I felt this was a good place to end it.

Atem's POV till I say otherwise.

_Italics_ = thoughts

" " = dialogue

"Let my son go" he hissed through gritted teeth, his breathing hoarse and tired. Everyone's attention turned to him as he walked slowly towards the Thief King standing in the middle of the cave.

I took this moment to jump at the man holding Bakura, head butting him in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him. His grip loosened on the child, and I pulled him away to safety. I cradled the baby in my arms, his body cold and unmoving. I whispered his name over and over, getting no response from the small limp figure. I closed my eyes and held him tightly to my chest, fighting back tears. My blood was curdling and I started shaking with hatred.

I wasn't aware of the world around me anymore. When the thief recovered from the pain and grabbed me from behind, I didn't even flinch. Even when he held a knife to my neck and yelled death threats in my ear, I didn't bother looking up. All I could think about was that the Thief King needed to pay for this.

"You don't deserve to bear the Millennium Item!" I yelled at him, his reaction that of amusement mixed with bewilderment. He didn't quite understand what I was talking about, but he ignored me and turned his attention to Takunin, who was struggling to move with three people restraining him. The others paraded around him, throwing food and any object they could get their hands on at his face, trying their best to humiliate him and his pathetic attempt at being a hero.

One of the younger members even kicked his wounded leg, causing him to fall off his feet before their king. They all started laughing hysterically, the laughter echoing off the cave's walls and sounding like a pack of hyenas taunting their prey.

I couldn't believe what was going on. A child just died from horrible mishandling, and they were celebrating! Not only did they feel no remorse for killing someone who wasn't a threat to them, they even acted like they were proud of it. The hatred in me had gotten to the point where I couldn't distinguish them from one another. They all looked like grinning, shadowy demons, trying to get me to lose my mind. Their laughter was getting to me, and I finally snapped. I wanted them all to suffer a fiery death, sending them back to the pits of hell that spawned them.

Suddenly, a loud yelling disrupted the thieves' celebrations. Everyone turned their attention to their leader, who started writhing in pain as smoke rose from his body. The Millennium Pyramid was glowing in a bright, golden light, and the area of his chest that it rested on was burning, his scorched flesh tearing apart. They stared in shock as he thrashed about, trying to grab the offensive item and remove it from his body. Like deer, they froze in place and watched the morbid dance unfold before them, nobody daring to interfere for fear of receiving the same curse.

The glow was spreading like wildfire, from his chest to his legs and arms and soon started consuming his entire body. He pulled at the rope trying to detach the Pyramid from his dissolving skin, but was stopped by a sharp metal object that struck through his hand.

The thieves barely had time to react as the now free Takunin pulled the rod back out and pushed it as hard as he could into their leader's chest, knocking him on his back, where he quickly burned into a large mound of fine ash.

Nobody understood what just happened except me. They blamed witchcraft and sorcery, and they turned to me like frightened animals. My satisfied smirk seemed only to confirm their fears, and I was certain they were cursing themselves now for having crossed me.

I felt the hands around my neck loosen their grip as the young man backed away from me, as if touching me would cause him to catch on fire just like his elder. I put the baby down gently, wrapping him up in my cape. I looked at him with a sad smile and strode towards the dark heap that used to be the Thief King.

Like the waters of Nu, they parted before me, not daring to cross my power. I walked to the center of the room and looked at the remains. The Pyramid rested on top of the ashes, whole and immaculate, as if the cinder was forbidden to stain the object's golden surface.

I retrieved the trinket that I rightfully owned and tied it back around my neck. The thieves kept staring as the Pyramid appeared harmless once again, the glow disappearing completely as it dangled on top of my chest.

"What did you do him?" managed to scream one of the thieves, his voice cracking as he started trembling before me.

I didn't answer. I was certain this was going to happen, and the Gods confirmed my suspicion. This person's soul was rejected by the Millennium Item and was declared unfit to weave its power. I saw it happen before, and it will happen again when people with hearts as tainted as his get a hold of power they can't control.

The Pyramid hummed with energy. I held my hand over the Eye and heard their voice. The blood offering had pleased the Gods. And they wanted more.

I followed their guidance and raised my hand to the sky. The cave started shaking as a bright light spread out. The men began backing away towards the exit, scared of what was about to happen. But I wasn't going to let them escape.

The golden glow got brighter, and a pair of mighty wings spread forth, breaking the cave apart. The giant eagle-headed creature let out a blood curdling screech, and flew out into the morning sky, drawing the Sun's rays into its metallic feathers.

"Winged God Dragon of Ra, cleanse the world of these fiends!" I said, pointing at the retreating criminals.

The men had no time to react or get away as the glow spread out like an explosion of heavenly retribution. In a silent sweep of golden light, they were gone, along with everything that attested to their existence.

I don't remember what happened next. When I came to, I was alone, standing straight and pointing to the desert dunes, like a forgotten statue in the middle of nowhere. The cave was no more, and large rocks littered the landscape.

I stared ahead, not moving from my commanding position. I felt like crying again, but only weak sobs escaped my chest. Only when I remembered about Bakura did my legs finally give in and I fell to my knees.

I felt like it was all for nothing. Revenge was not was sweet as people say, as the loss is always greater than the gain.

_I am a fool. Taking a life won't bring another back. What good is having the criminal punished if the victim can't be saved?_

I lost myself in my thoughts again, and didn't notice when the tall man walked up next to me, kneeled down and covered my shivering form in a clean blanket. My eyes darted upwards and I saw the baby still wrapped in my cape held tightly next to the man's chest.

My breathing stopped as I heard a faint moan coming from inside the makeshift cover. I wasn't sure if it was real or if I was just imagining things to make myself feel better. As if to confirm my assumption, the baby wriggled around, cowering in his father's protective arms. He was sobbing in a faint voice, shielding himself from the world.

He was still alive? But how?

_I guess…I never even bothered to check if he was breathing at all._

With the constant string of disasters that became my daily life, I ended up always assuming the worst from the very start. I didn't even know how to react to positive things anymore and I forced my mouth to show the faintest of smiles to the man before me.

Takunin caressed his white hair gently, trying to calm the infant down. But the baby seemed too lost in his own fears to realize who was touching him, and started trembling harder, sobbing louder and louder, not daring to break into a fit of crying to avoid getting 'punished' again.

I didn't know what to think. I was relieved that the baby was still alive, but at the same time I was worried that he was so badly traumatized by the experience. What if he would never recover?

Without thinking, I took the child from his parent's arms and started talking to him. I didn't know what to say, but I opened my mind to him. I told him everything I felt about him and everything I wanted for him to experience out of life, and how we were going to enjoy it together.

The child stopped sobbing and looked at me with big curious eyes, listening to me as I talked away. I don't know if he understood what I told him back then, but my voice seemed to soothe his pain away and he fell asleep in my lap, clutching the Millennium Pyramid.

Takunin leaned in closer and hugged me, my tired body finally giving in and I rested for the first time in two weeks.

I woke up on the horse, as we were riding into town. I looked to the person in front of me, and he turned his head towards me as he felt me fidget about. Takunin smiled calmly and his gentle face looked once again like that of the man who saw me as a friend. Bakura was still sleeping, nestled softly on top of the front saddle.

Neither of us said anything as we entered the village, but I started feeling uneasiness take a hold of me as I got closer to his home. I felt like a felon returning to the scene of the crime. I didn't belong here anymore and after everything that happened today, I was sure Bakura's family will never see me the same way again.

When we came closer to the house at the end of the alleyway, I saw the mother waiting for us outside, smiling relieved when she recognized her husband and child. She ran towards us and picked up the baby, kissing him repeatedly and hugging him fiercely as if someone was going to tear him from her arms again.

I jumped off the saddle and started walking off, trying to get as far away as possible from the unnerving place. Takunin frowned and pulled at the reigns, turning the horse around to follow me.

"Where are you going, boy?" he said, disappointment obvious in his tone.

I stopped and looked ahead at the winding road leading out of the village.

"I don't know." I waited for a few moments longer and added "I wish you and your family the best" and started walking off again.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. It is clear that I misjudged you earlier. You're a good person" he said calmly, as if he did not understand what I was implying with my last statement. I couldn't believe he was apologizing to ME, even though I thought it was obvious it should be the other way around.

"You're the first person I've met that had the heart to risk himself for the sake of a stranger. I think my child could learn a lot from you."

Amina came closer, smiling as she understood what her husband was trying to say.

"Will you do me the honor of becoming my son's godfather?" he said, as his wife nodded in agreement.

I froze in place. This was not what I expected him to say at all. I was completely dumbstruck. I never even thought of something like this. I looked at the baby in the woman's arms and had a revelation. Maybe this was a good idea after all.

_I could look after him and make sure he grows up to be a good person. If I prevent him from becoming a thief, I may still be able to save my world._

I would be giving up on my own life in the present for his sake, but at the same time I would stop any of the disasters he caused from happening. Would I cease to exist in my own time? Would my family forget me? I didn't know. But I was sure this was the best thing I could do to make sure everything turned out perfect.

"I would be proud to be part of your family" I said, earning a smile from the pair.

I looked down at the Pyramid and bit my lip. I grabbed the item in my hands and held it to the man.

"Please, take this. It's very valuable and it would sell for a good sum on the market. Take the money and move from this place." Takunin looked uneasy, not wanting to part me with the object I valued the most. But I was sure of this. I didn't need it anymore.

Just as he started reaching for the Pyramid, I started feeling strange. My head started spinning and I was losing focus. I could hear his voice calling me, but it was becoming weaker and weaker, as if he was getting farther away. But I was wrong; I was the one being pulled away. I was drifting off into darkness, the Pyramid glowing strongly as my body was getting weaker.

I recognized the feeling. It was just like the spring in the cave. The Pyramid was taking me back home. But I was happy. This time, I was sure things would turn out alright.

They had to.


End file.
